A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

lectio difficilior --- 1901, from L., lit. "harder reading," from phrase maxim difficilior lectio potior. In textual reconstruction (of the Bible, etc.) the idea that, of two alternative manuscript readings, the one whose meaning is less obvious is less likely to be a copyist's alteration, and therefore should be given precedence.

lecture (n.) --- 1398, "action of reading, that which is read," from M.L. lectura "a reading, lecture," from L. lectus, pp. of legere "to read," originally "to gather, collect, pick out, choose" (cf. election), from PIE *leg- "to pick together, gather, collect" (cf. Gk. legein "to say, tell, speak, declare," originally, in Homer, "to pick out, select, collect, enumerate;" lexis "speech, diction;" logos "word, speech, thought, account;" L. lignum "wood, firewood," lit. “that which is gathered”). To read is to "pick out words." Meaning "action of reading (a lesson) aloud" is from 1526. That of "a discourse on a given subject before an audience for purposes of instruction" is from 1536. The verb is attested from 1590.

LED --- 1968, acronym from light-emitting diode.

lederhosen --- 1937, from Ger., lit. "leather trousers" (see leather and hose). Leather shorts worn in Alpine regions. O.E. had cognate leðerhose. Ger. hosen displaced O.H.G. bruch (see breeches), the basic Gmc. word for "trousers."

ledge --- c.1272, "crossbar on a door," perhaps from M.E. verb leggen "to place, lay" (see lay (v.)). Sense of "narrow shelf" is first recorded 1558; "shelf-like projection of rock" is from 1555.

ledger --- account book, 1401, from leggen "to place, lay" (see lay (v.)). Originally a book that lies in a permanent place (especially a large copy of a breviary in a church). Sense of "book of accounts" is first attested 1588, short for ledger-book (1553).

lee --- O.E. hleo "shelter," from P.Gmc. *khlewo- (cf. O.N. hle, Dan. læ, Du. lij "lee, shelter"); no known cognates outside Gmc.; original sense uncertain and may have been "warm" (cf. Ger. lau "tepid," O.N. hly "shelter, warmth"). Leeward is 1666, "situated away from the wind," opposite of the weather side of the ship; leeway (1669) is sideways drift of a ship caused by wind.

leech (1) --- bloodsucking aquatic worm, from O.E. læce (Kentish lyce), of unknown origin (with a cognate in M.Du. lake). Commonly regarded as a transf. use of leech (2), but the O.E. forms suggest a distinct word, which has been assimilated to leech (2) by folk etymology. Figuratively applied to human parasites since 1784.

leech (2) --- obsolete for "physician," from O.E. læce, from O.Dan. læke, from P.Gmc. *lælijaz "healer, physician" (cf. O.N. læknir, O.H.G. lahhi, Goth. lekeis "physician"), lit. "one who counsels," perhaps connected with a root found in Celt. (cf. Ir. liaig "charmer, exorcist, physician") and/or Slavic (cf. Serbo-Croatian lijekar), with an original sense of "speak, talk, whisper, conjurer." The form and sense merged with leech (1) in M.E. by folk etymology. In 17c., leech usually was applied only to veterinary practitioners. The third finger of the hand, in O.E., was læcfinger, translating L. digitus medicus, Gk. daktylus iatrikos, supposedly because a vein from that finger stretches straight to the heart.

Lee-Enfield --- 1902, named for J.P. Lee (1831-1904), U.S. designer of bolt action + Enfield (q.v.).

leek --- O.E. læc (Mercian), leac (W.Saxon) "leek, onion, garlic," from P.Gmc. *lauka- (cf. O.N. laukr "leek, garlic," Dan. løg, Swed. lök "onion," Du. look "leek, garlic," O.H.G. louh, Ger. lauch "leek"). No known cognates; Finnish laukka, O.C.S. luku are borrowed from Gmc.

leer (v.) --- to look obliquely (now usually implying "with a lustful or malicious intent"), 1530, from M.E. noun ler "cheek," from O.E. hleor "the cheek, the face," from P.Gmc. *khleuzas "near the ear," from *kleuso- "ear," from PIE root *kleu- "to hear" (see listen). The notion is probably of "looking askance" (cf. figurative development of cheek). The noun is first attested 1598.

leery --- untrusting, suspicious, 1718, originally slang, probably from dialectal lere "learning, knowledge" (see lore), or from leer (v.) in some now-obscure sense.

lees --- c.1384, from O.Fr. lies, pl. of lie "sediment," probably from Celtic (cf. O.Ir. lige "a bed, a lying"), from PIE base *legh- "to lie" (see lie (v.2)).

left --- c.1205, from Kentish form of O.E. lyft- "weak, foolish" (cf. lyft-adl "lameness, paralysis," E.Fris. luf, Du. dial. loof "weak, worthless"). It emerged 13c. as "opposite of right," a derived sense also found in M.Du., Low Ger. luchter, luft. Ger. link, Du. linker "left" are from O.H.G. slinc, M.Du. slink "left," related to O.E. slincan "crawl," Sw. linka "limp," slinka "dangle." Replaced O.E. winestra, lit. "friendlier," a euphemism used superstitiously to avoid invoking the unlucky forces connected with the left side (see sinister). The Kentish word itself may have been originally a taboo replacement, if instead it represents PIE root *laiwo-, meaning "considered conspicuous" (represented in Gk. laios, Latvian laevus, and Rus. levyi). Gk. also uses a euphemism for "left," aristeros "the better one" (cf. also Avestan vairyastara- "to the left," from vairya- "desirable"). But Lith. kairys "left" and Lettish kreilis "left hand" derive from a root that yields words for "twisted, crooked." Political sense arose from members of a legislative body assigned to the left side of a chamber, first attested in Eng. 1837 (by Carlyle, in ref. to the Fr. Revolution), probably a loan-translation of Fr. la gauche (1791), said to have originated during the seating of the Fr. National Assembly in 1789 in which the nobility took the seats on the President's right and left the Third Estate to sit on the left. Became general in U.S. and British political speech c.1900 (cf. Leftist, 1924; left wing, 1898). Used since at least 1612 in various senses of "irregular, illicit," such as the phrase left-handed compliment (1881). Phrase out in left field "unorthodox, unexpected" is attested from 1959. Lefty "left-handed person" is 1886, Amer.Eng., baseball slang. The Left Bank of Paris has been associated with intellectual and artistic culture since at least 1893.

leg --- c.1275, from O.N. leggr "leg, bone," from P.Gmc. *lagjaz. Replaced O.E. shank. The meaning "a part or stage of a journey or race" (1920) is from earlier sailing sense of "a run made on a single tack" (1867), which was usually qualified as long leg, short leg, etc. Leg-work (1891) was originally news reporter's slang for an assignment that produced more walking than text. Slang phrase shake a leg "dance" is attested from 1881. To be on (one's) last legs "at the end of one's life" is from 1599. Legging "extra outer covering to protect the leg" first recorded 1763. Leg-warmer is first attested 1974. Leg up "aid, boost" is from 1837.

legacy --- c.1375, "body of persons sent on a mission," from O.Fr. legacie "legate's office," from M.L. legatia, from L. legatus "ambassador, envoy," noun use of pp. of legare "appoint by a last will, send as a legate" (see legate). Sense of "property left by will" appeared in Scot. c.1460.

legal --- 1447 (implied in legality) "of or pertaining to the law," from L. legalis "legal, pertaining to the law," from lex (gen. legis) "law," possibly related to legere "to gather," on notion of "a collection of rules" (see lecture). Sense of "permitted by law" is from 1647. The O.Fr. form was leial, loial (see leal, loyal). Legalese "the language of legal documents" first recorded 1914.

legate --- 1154, "authorized representative of the Pope," from L. legatus, originally "provided with a commission," pp. of legare "send as a deputy, send with a commission, bequeath," from lex (gen. legis) "contract, law." General sense of "ambassador, delegate, messenger" is from 1382.

legem pone --- payment of money, cash down, 1573, from first two words of the fifth division of Psalm cxix, which begins the psalms at Matins on the 25th of the month; consequently associated with March 25, a quarter day in the old financial calendar, when payments and debts came due.

legend --- c.1340, from O.Fr. legende (12c.), from M.L. legenda "legend, story," lit. "(things) to be read," on certain days in church, etc., from neuter plural gerundive of L. legere "to read, gather, select" (see lecture). Used originally of saints' lives; extended sense of "nonhistorical or mythical story" first recorded 1613. Meaning "writing or inscription" (especially on a coin or medal) is from 1611; on a map, illustration, etc., from 1903.

legerdemain --- c.1430, "conjuring tricks," from M.Fr. léger de main "quick of hand," from léger "light" in weight (from L. levis "light;" see lever) + main "hand" (from L. manus, see manual).

Leghorn --- breed of fowl, 1869, from Leghorn, city in Italy (modern Livorno, 16c.-17c. Legorno), from L. Liburnus.

legible --- c.1375, from L.L. legibilis "that can be read," from L. legere "to read" (see lecture).

legion --- c.1205, from O.Fr. legion "Roman legion" (3,000 to 6,000 men, under Marius usually with attached cavalry), from L. legionem (nom. legio) "body of soldiers," from legere "to choose, gather," also "to read" (see lecture). Generalized sense of "a large number" is due to (inaccurate) translations of allusive phrase in Mark v.9. American Legion, U.S. association of ex-servicemen, founded in 1919; Legionnaires' Disease, caused by Legionella pneumophilia, was named for outbreak July 1976 at American Legion convention in Philadelphia's Bellevue Stratford Hotel. Legion of Honor is Fr. légion d'honneur, an order of distinction founded by Napoleon in 1802. Foreign Legion is Fr. légion étrangère "body of foreign volunteers in a modern army," originally Polish, Belgian, etc. units in Fr. army; they traditionally served in colonies or distant expeditions.

legislator --- 1605, from L. legis lator "proposer of a law," from legis, gen. of lex "law" + lator "proposer," agent noun of latus "borne, brought, carried," used as past tense of ferre "to carry" (see infer). Legislative is from 1651; legislation is from 1655; legislature is 1676. Legislate is a back-formation first recorded 1805.

legitimate --- 1494, "having the status of one lawfully begotten," from M.L. legitimatus, pp. of legitimare "make lawful, declare to be lawful," from L. legitimus "lawful," originally "in line with the law," from lex (gen. legis) "law." Transferred sense of "genuine, real" is attested from 1818. Shortened form legit is first recorded 1897 in theater slang.

Lego --- 1954, proprietary name (in use since 1934, according to the company), from Dan. phrase leg godt "play well." The founder, Ole Kirk Christiansen, didn't realize until later that the word meant "I study" or "I put together" in Latin.

legume --- plant of the group of the pulse family, 1676, from Fr. légume, from L. legumen, of unknown origin. One suggestion ties it to L. legere "to gather" (see lecture), because they can be scooped by the handful. Used in M.E. in the L. form legumen (1398).

lei --- 1843, from Hawaiian, "ornament worn about the neck or head."

Leica --- 1925, proprietary name of cameras made by Ger. firm of Ernst & Leitz Gesellschaft, Wetzlar, Germany.

Leicester --- Ligera ceaster (early 10c.) "Roman Town of the People Called Ligore," a tribal name, of unknown origin.

Leila --- fem. proper name, from Arabic Laylah, lit. "dark as night," from laylah "night."

leisure --- 1303, "opportunity to do something," also "time at one's disposal," from O.Fr. leisir (Fr. loisir) "permission, leisure, spare time," noun use of infinitive leisir "be permitted," from L. licere "be permitted" (see license). The -u- appeared 16c., probably on analogy of words like pleasure.

leitmotif --- 1876, "a musical figure to which some definite meaning is attached," from Ger. Leitmotiv, lit. "lead motive," from leiten "to lead" + Motiv "motive." A term associated with Wagnerian musical drama, though the thing itself is at least as old as Mozart. "The leitmotif must be characteristic of the person or thing it is intended to represent." ["Elson's Music Dictionary"]

lek (v.) --- to engage in courtship displays of certain animals, 1871, probably from Swed. leka "to play," cognate of Eng. dial. verb lake (see lark (v.)).

leman --- archaic for "sweetheart, paramour," from M.E. leofman (c.1205), from O.E. leof "dear" + man "human being, person." Originally of either gender, though archaic usage tends to limit it to women.

lemming --- small arctic rodent, 1607, from Norw. lemming, from O.N. lomundr "lemming." Perhaps from Lapp luomek. Fig. sense (in reference to their mass migrations that sometimes end in plunges into the sea) is from 1959.

lemon (1) --- type of citrus fruit, c.1400, from O.Fr. limon "citrus fruit," from O.Prov., from Ar. laimun or Pers. limu(n), generic terms for citrus fruits (compare lime); cognate with Skt. nimbu "the lime." Slang meaning "a Quaalude" is 1960s, from Lemmon, name of a pharmaceutical company that once manufactured the drug. Lemonade is first recorded 1663, from Fr. limonade; earlier Eng. spelling was lemonado (c.1640) with false Sp. ending.

lemon (2) --- worthless thing, 1909, Amer.Eng. slang; from lemon (1), perhaps via criminal slang sense of "a person who is a loser, a simpleton," which is perhaps from the notion of someone a sharper can "suck the juice out of." A pool hall hustle was called a lemon game (1908); while to hand someone a lemon was British slang (1906) for "to pass off a sub-standard article as a good one." Or it simply may be a metaphor for something which "leaves a bad taste in one's mouth."

lemur --- nocturnal Madagascar mammal, 1795, coined by Linnaeus, from L. lemures (pl.) "spirits of the dead" in Roman mythology. So called for its nocturnal habits and ghostly stares. Lemuria (1864) was the name given by P.L. Sclater to a hypothetical ancient continent connecting Africa and Southeastern Asia (and including Madagascar), which was hypothesized to explain phenomena now accounted for by continental drift.

Lena --- fem. proper name, originally a shortened form of Helena or Magdalena.

Lenape --- 1728, native name for Delaware Indians, said to mean "original people."

lend --- O.E. lænan "to lend," from læn "loan" (see loan). Cognate with Du. lenen, O.H.G. lehanon, Ger. lehnen, also verbs derived from nouns. Past tense form, with terminal -d, became principal form in M.E. on analogy of bend, send, etc.

length --- O.E. lengðu "length," from P.Gmc. *langitho, noun of quality from *langgaz (root of O.E. lang "long") + -itho, abstract noun suffix. Cognate with O.N. lengd, O.Fris. lengethe, Du. lengte. Fig. sense of "the distance one goes, extremity to which something is carried" is from 1697. Phrase at length "to full extent" is attested from c.1500. Lengthy is first recorded 1759 in Amer.Eng., and until c.1840 always was characterized in British Eng. as an Americanism.

lenient --- 1652, "relaxing, soothing," from M.Fr. lenient, from L. lenientem (nom. leniens), prp. of lenire "to soften, alleviate, mitigate, allay, calm," from lenis "mild, gentle, calm," probably from PIE base *le(i)- "to leave, yield" (cf. Lith. lenas "quiet, tranquil, tame, slow," O.C.S. lena "lazy," L. lassus "faint, weary," O.E. læt "sluggish, slow," lætan "to leave behind"). Sense of "mild, merciful" (of persons) first recorded 1787. In earlier use was lenitive, attested from 1543 of medicines, 1620 of persons.

lens --- 1693, from L. lens (gen. lentis) "lentil," on analogy of the double-convex shape. See lentil.

Lent --- short for Lenten, from O.E. lencten "spring," the season, from W.Gmc. *langa-tinaz (cf. O.S. lentin, M.Du. lenten, O.H.G. lengizin manoth), from *lanngaz (root of O.E. lang "long") + *tina-, a root meaning "day" (cf. Goth. sin-teins "daily"), cognate with O.C.S. dini, Lith. diena, L. dies "day." the compound probably refers to the increasing daylight. Church sense of "period between Ash Wednesday and Easter" is peculiar to Eng.

lentil --- c.1250, from O.Fr. lentille, from V.L. *lenticula, dim. of L. lens (gen. lentis) "lentil," cognate with Gk. lathyros, O.C.S. lesta.

lento --- slowly (musical direction), 1724, from It. lento "slow," from L. lentus "flexible, pliant, slow, sluggish," cognate with Skt. lithi, O.E. liðe "soft, mild, gentle" (see lithe).

Leo --- zodiac constellation, O.E., from L. leo "lion" (see lion). Meaning "person born under the sign of Leo" is from 1894. Leonid "meteor which appears to radiate from Leo" is from 1876. The annual shower peaks Nov. 14.

Leonard --- masc. proper name, from Fr. Léonard, O.Fr. Leonard, from Ger. Leonhard, from O.H.G. *Lewenhart, lit. "strong as a lion," from lewo (from L. Leo, see lion) + hart "hard."

leonine --- c.1386, from L. leoninus "belonging to or resembling a lion," from leo (gen. leonis) "lion." Weekley thinks that Leonine verse (1658), rhymed in the middle as well as the end of the line, probably is from the name of some medieval poet, perhaps Leo, Canon of St. Victor, Paris, 12c.

leopard --- c.1290, from O.Fr. lebard, leupart, from L.L. leopardus, lit. "lion-pard," from Gk. leopardos, from leon "lion" + pardos "male panther," which generally is said to be connected to Skt. prdakuh "panther, tiger." The animal was thought in ancient times to be a hybrid of these two species.

Leopold --- masc. proper name, from Fr. Léopold, from O.H.G. Leutpald, Liutbald, lit. "bold among the people," from leudi "people" + bald "bold."

leotard --- 1886, in allusion to Jules Léotard (1830-1870), Fr. trapeze artist who performed in such a garment.

leper --- one afflicted with leprosy, 1387, from L.L. lepra, from Gk. lepra "leprosy," from fem. of lepros (adj.) "scaly," from leops "a scale," related to lepein "to peel," from lopos "a peel," from PIE base *lep- "to peel, scale" (see leaf). Originally the word for the disease itself (c.1250); because of the -er ending it came to mean "person with leprosy," so leprosy was coined 16c. from adj. leprous.

lepidoptera --- 1773, "insects with four scaly wings," the biological classification that includes butterflies, coined 1735 by Swed. botanist Carolus Linnaeus (Karl von Linné, 1707-78) from Gk. lepis (gen. lepidos) "(fish) scale" (related to lepein "to peel") + pteron "wing, feather" (see petition).

leprechaun --- 1604, from Ir. lupracan, metathesis from O.Ir. luchorpan lit. "a very small body," from lu "little" + corpan, dim. of corp "body," from L. corpus "body" (see corporeal). Commonly spelled lubrican in 17c. Eng. Leithbragan is Ir. folk etymology, from leith "half" + brog "brogue," because the spirit was "supposed to be always employed in making or mending a single shoe."

leprosy --- 1535, see leper. First used in Coverdale Bible, where it renders Heb. cara'ath, which apparently was a comprehensive term for skin diseases. Because of pejorative associations, the use of the word in medical context has been banned by the World Health Organization and replaced by Hansen's disease, named for Norw. physician Armauer Hansen (1841-1912) who in 1871 discovered the bacillus that causes it.

lesbian (adj.) --- 1591, from L. Lesbius, from Gk. lesbios "of Lesbos," Gk. island in northeastern Aegean Sea (the name originally may have meant "wooded"), home of Sappho, great lyric poet whose erotic and romantic verse embraced women as well as men, hence meaning "relating to homosexual relations between women" (1890; lesbianism in this sense is attested from 1870) and the noun, first recorded 1925. Slang variant lez, les is from 1929; lesbo first attested 1940. Before this, the principal fig. use (common in 17c.) was lesbian rule (1601) a mason's rule of lead, of a type used on Lesbos, which could be bent to fit the curves of a molding; hence, "pliant morality or judgment."

lese-majesty --- offense against sovereign authority, treason, 1536, from Fr. lèse-majesté, from L. læsa majestos "violated majesty," from læsus, pp. of lædere "to hurt, injure, damage, offend, insult," of unknown origin.

lesion --- 1452, from M.Fr. lesion, from L. læsionem (nom. læsio) "injury," from lædere "to strike, hurt, damage," of unknown origin. Originally with ref. to any sort of hurt, whether physical or not.

-less --- the suffix meaning "lacking" is from O.E. -leas, from leas "free (from), devoid (of), false, feigned," from P.Gmc. *lausaz (cf. Du. -loos, Ger. -los "less," O.N. lauss "loose, free, vacant, dissolute," M.Du. los, Ger. los "loose, free," Goth. laus "empty, vain"). Related to loose and lease.

less --- O.E. læs (adv.), læssa (adj.), comp. of læs "small;" from P.Gmc. *laisiz "smaller," from PIE base *loiso- "small" (cf. Lith. liesas "thin"). Formerly also "younger," as a transl. of L. minor, a sense now obs. except in James the Less. Used as a comparative of little, but not related to it. Lesser (1459) is a double comparative, "a barbarous corruption of less, formed by the vulgar from the habit of terminating comparatives in -er." [Johnson]. Lessen "to become less" first attested c.1300.

lesson --- c.1225, "a reading aloud from the Bible," also "something to be learned by a student," from O.Fr. leçon, from L. lectionem (nom. lectio) "a reading," from lectus, pp. of legere "to read" (see lecture). Transf. sense of "an occurrence from which something can be learned" is from 1586.

lest --- c.1240, from O.E. phrase þy læs þe "whereby less that," from þy, instrumental case of demonstrative article þæt "that" + læs (see less) + þe "the." The þy was dropped and the other two words contracted into leste.

let (n.) --- hindrance, 1175, from O.E. lettan "hinder, delay," from P.Gmc. *latjanan (cf. O.S. lettian "to hinder," O.N. letja "to hold back," O.H.G. lezzen "to stop, check," Goth. latjan "to hinder, make late," O.E. læt "sluggish, slow, late"); see late.

let (v.) --- O.E. lætan "to allow, let go, bequeath, leave," also "to rent" (class VII strong verb; past tense let, pp. læten), from P.Gmc. *lætan (cf. O.S. latan, O.Fris. leta, Du. laten, Ger. lassen, Goth. letan "to leave, let"), from PIE *le(i)d- "to leave behind, leave, yield" (cf. L. lassus "faint, weary," Lith. leisti "to let, to let loose"). The primary sense appears to be "to let go through weariness, to neglect." Obsolete let (n.) "hindrance" is from O.E. lettan "hinder, delay," from P.Gmc. *latjanan, related to Mod.Eng. late. Slang letdown "disappointment" first recorded 1768. Let on "reveal, divulge" is from 1637; let up "cease, stop" is from 1787.

lethal --- 1583, from L.L. lethalis, from L. letalis "deadly, fatal," from letum "death," of uncertain origin. Form altered in L.L. by association with lethe hydor, "water of oblivion" in Hades in Gk. mythology, from Gk. lethe "forgetfulness."

lethargy --- c.1374, from L.L. lethargia, from Gk. lethargia "forgetfulness," from lethargos "forgetful," originally "inactive through forgetfulness," from lethe "forgetfulness" + argos "idle."

Lethe --- 1567, river of Hades, whose water when drunk caused forgetfulness of the past, from Gk. lethe, lit. "forgetfulness, oblivion," related to lethargos "forgetful," lathre "secretly, by stealth," lathrios "stealthy," lanthanein "to be hidden." Cognate with L. latere "to be hidden" (see latent).

Letitia --- fem. proper name, lit. "gladness," from L. lætitia, from lætus "glad," of unknown origin.

Lett --- 1831, from Ger. Lette, from O.H.G. liuti "people" (Ger. Leute). The native name is Latvi.

letter --- c.1150, "graphic symbol, written character," from O.Fr. lettre, from L. littera (also litera) "letter of the alphabet," of uncertain origin, perhaps from Gk. diphthera "tablet," with change of d- to l- as in lachrymose. The pl. litteræ in L. meant "epistle, written documents, literature," a sense first attested c.1225 in M.E., replacing O.E. ærendgewrit, lit. "errand-writing." School letter in sports, first awarded by U. of Chicago football coach Amos Alonzo Stagg.

lettuce --- c.1290, from O.Fr. laitues, pl. of laitue, from L. lactuca "lettuce," from lac (gen. lactis) "milk" (see lactation); so called in allusion to the milky juice of the plant.